crawcraftsbeasties

Light Refreshments at Beastie Towers!

Posted on August 30, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Knitted Beasties

Hooray! If it’s Tuesday, it must be New Beastie Day! Here are a couple of the other new additions to the Beastie Towers family who joined us at our market last Saturday…

First up… Caff-Fiend Beastie!
Oh, I do love making Beasties with teeny mugs of hot drinks! And as someone with their feet firmly planted in the tea drinkers’ camp, all of my cup-toting Beasties up to now have been clutching a nice, milky brew. However, I have heard rumblings that some people -SHOCK – prefer coffee! And it turns out that this applies to Beasties too. So, Caff-Fiend Beastie has a big ol’ yellow mug full of rich, strong Americano…
…Although I suspect this might not be his first of the day! Check out his hair – is he perhaps a little frazzled?
Maybe we’d better make him order a chamomile tea next time around!

Of course, our “Drinks Beasties” feature today wouldn’t be complete without a Pint Beastie…
I equipped this Barróg* Beastie (those are the ones made out of 100% Irish wool) with one of my new-style pints, to see if the method worked with other types of beer… How about a nice red ale?

[*“Barróg” is the Irish word for “hug”, by the way!]
Looking good – I’d almost drink this myself! Sláinte!

Have you a favourite tipple that you’d like to see recreated in Beastie-size? Let me know in the comments!

Paddy and Plunkett on the Beach - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

Paddy and Plunkett – Last Day of the Holidays

Posted on August 26, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Paddy and Plunkett

Is it just me, or is there a whiff of change in the air? The sun, when it finally makes it out from behind the clouds, is shining with a more mellow light, and the breezes feel a little cooler than they did this time last week. It seems like summer is coming to an end – although how I’m able to notice this when it never really got started is anyone’s guess! But with the shops filling up with “back to school” supplies, and the evenings starting a little earlier each day, it’s time for a pair of adventurous little woolly monsters to think about heading for home.

But not before they’ve hit the beach one last time! This one looks nice – but where are Paddy and Plunkett?
I suppose these pebbles would provide perfect camouflage for them. Helllooooooo?

Oh, wait… there they are!
They really couldn’t have asked for better weather on their last day – look at that sky, reflected in the perfectly still water behind them!
Unfortunately, at this stage their budget has pretty much completely run out, so the boys will be foraging for lunch.
Is that sea kale? Let’s hope so! Sea kale actually did enjoy a brief spell of culinary popularity in the early 1800s, when a lot of people started growing it in their gardens. Although it’s easy to cultivate, it bruises easily and is best eaten soon after cutting, which is why you’re unlikely to see it in your local supermarket. Still, that doesn’t affect Paddy and Plunkett, who will be tucking in straight away!

And after lunch, perhaps it might be nice to snooze in the sun for a while…
“Hey Paddy, what’s that noise in the background?”

“Ah, don’t worry about it, Plunkett…”
“…It’s just the Dungeness B nuclear reactor.”

“WHAAAAAAAT?!”

Hmmm, how DO they end up in these places? Paddy spent the rest of the day trying to keep Plunkett away from the internet, so he couldn’t read about the many setbacks this power station experienced, both during its construction and ongoing maintenance! By the end of the day, both of them were all tuckered out…
…So they thought it was best to get an early night.

I wonder where they’ll be off to next? And how will you be spending the last days of summer (or winter, for those of you in the southern hemisphere)? Let us know in the comments!

The Recipe for a Monster Day Out!

Posted on August 23, 2016August 23, 2016 by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Knitted Beasties

Here at Beastie Towers we like nothing better than heading out together for a fun day at one of our local markets. And even though the weather here was less than stellar on Saturday morning, we still managed to have a good time at the Ha’Penny market – it’s definitely worth a look if you ever find yourself in Dublin!

A few of our group even went home with new human friends – first to go was Cookie Beastie…
…who was snapped up by Ali from A Little Idea, one of our stall neighbours on the day!

Many of the other Beasties who ventured off to pastures new have featured on the BeastieBlog before. But one of my recent additions found a new home too! It’s been a while since I last made a Chef Beastie – perhaps two years – so I really enjoyed cracking out my old templates and making some subtle adjustments to the design. The basic formula is the same – Chef Beasties always need a classic tall white chef’s hat and an apron…
…And I still get a chuckle out of making “useful” things to put in the apron pocket!
Put it all together, and you get…
…And perhaps you can see the BeastiEvolution which has taken place since I made my very first Chef Beastie!Who knows where they’ll go from here? Hmmm…

I have more new Beasties for you to meet, but I’m going to save ’em for next week. In the meantime, Paddy and Plunkett will be back to entertain you with more travellers’ tales on Friday. See you then!

Paddy and Plunkett Check out the Defences - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

Paddy and Plunkett, Over in Dover Again!

Posted on August 19, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Paddy and Plunkett

Well, it looks like Paddy and Plunkett are still rambling their way around the English southeast! I wonder whose rather elaborate doorstep they’ve landed on today?

This is Dover Castle, the largest castle in England. Most of this massive sprawling fortress was commissioned by Henry II, who probably hoped it would impress the many European pilgrims who passed through Dover on their way to Canterbury.

In keeping with this royal connection, Dover Castle holds replicas of what the crown jewels would have looked like at that time…Oooooh! Sparkly… Although probably a couple of sizes too big for our heroes’ heads.
The Castle also boasts some truly beautiful stained glass windows…
…And a reassuring quantity of cannons.
But not all of the castle is above ground! The cliffs under the castle are riddled with a network of underground tunnels, the earliest ones dating back to the Napoleonic Wars. They were originally designed so that a large number of soldiers could get from the castle to the beaches below quickly and easily in case of invasion.

One of the coolest things about the tunnels is how you get into them in the first place! If you look closely, you’ll see that this spiral staircase is actually a double helix, meaning that there are two separate staircases here, instead of just one. Architecture buff Plunkett found this fascinating, and wanted to share this photo with you all.
And Dover Castle’s history doesn’t stop there. The Castle and its tunnels were pressed back into service during the Second World War, initially as an air raid shelter, but later as a military command centre, telephone exchange and hospital. Some of the tunnels are even meant to be used as nuclear bunkers! Evidence of this more recent military involvement is there for any Beastie to see… and to climb over.
Yikes! Look at that thing! It’s lucky Plunkett is driving this time – who knows what would happen if Paddy commandeered the wheel?
Paddy and Plunkett will be back next Friday – assuming they aren’t held for questioning by the local police – and don’t forget to tune in on Tuesday to meet some more new Beasties!

(Or, if you happen to be in Dublin tomorrow, you can meet them in person! We’ll be at the Ha’Penny Market in The Grand Social, Liffey Street, from 12-6!)

Meet Cookie Beastie - CrawCrafts Beasties

Hooray! The Sun’s Out!

Posted on August 16, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Knitted Beasties

Look, everyone! The Irish summer has made a surprise reappearance!

So I thought today’s new Beastie should have his photo taken in the luxuriant(ish) gardens of Beastie Towers. I’m pleased to introduce you to Cookie Beastie, who is outside enjoying his favourite treat in the lovely warm sunshine.
But picnicking alone isn’t much fun…
…So a few friends came out to join him!
Much better. But of course, it didn’t take much time for these mischievous monsters to start running riot among the plants! Maybe they had too much beer… or fizzy pop!
Um, how exactly DO you climb a plant whilst holding a full pint of Guinness?
But not everyone was clambering through the undergrowth. Cheerleader Beastie was eager to practice a couple of new moves…
…While Redhead Beastie was happy to stop and smell the flowers.
But rounding up these little critters was more than a little tricky – especially when they’re as well camouflaged as Aran Beastie!
Still, I managed to lure them home by promising a market trip this weekend… our first of the year! We’ll be at our old stomping ground, The Ha’Penny Market at The Grand Social on Liffey Street, from 12-6 on Saturday. So if you’re in Dublin (or even if you’re not – take a day trip!) stop by and see us. We’d love to meet you!

Monster Highway in the Forest! CrawCrafts Beasties

More From The Fairy Forest!

Posted on August 12, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie, Knitted Beasties

Regular BeastieBlog readers will know that Explorer Beastie and I were literally away with the fairies a couple of weeks ago! But as I was tidying up the photo files from our trip away, I saw that there were loads of other non-fairy photos that I hadn’t had a chance to use. Away from the hubbub of Fairyville, there was a whole forest for Explorer Beastie to investigate – let’s join him, shall we?
Here we go! The undergrowth was pretty dense in some places…

…But elsewhere we found shortcuts better suited to little short Beastie legs!
Soft mossy patches also make the perfect place to stop for a quick nap…
… And we even found a natural paddling pool in a tree stump!
There was also plenty of clover growing in the forest – surely ONE of these is the lucky four-leafed kind?
Explorer Beastie also found somewhere to test his Christmas Fairy skills!
Hmmm… there might be room for you at the top of the tree this year…

That said, Explorer Beastie will climb pretty much any tree he can find!
But just when we thought we’d gone through the whole fairy forest without meeting a single magical creature… we caught a glimpse of these through the trees!
Wooooah! REAL FAIRIES!

It’s going to be hard to top this on our next day trip!

Have you had a brush with the magical or mysterious lately? Let us know in the comments!

Explorer Beastie Portrait - CrawCrafts Beasties

A Monster Gallery Overhaul!

Posted on August 9, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Info, Knitted Beasties

Aaaah, if only I had a magic wand like Fairy Princess Beastie’s! It would definitely save me an hour or two the next time I take a notion to give the BeastieBlog a little facelift. As it is, I’ve spent the morning looking through photos, making lists and trying to get my poor semi-senile laptop to cooperate… all in the name of deciding which Beasties get to star in my updated Gallery and Hall of Fame pages!

There have been a good few new arrivals in Beastie Towers since I first put the Gallery together back in February, and I wanted to make sure that some of these got a chance to take up residence in the prime internet real estate on my homepage! So I’ve added some recent favourites…
… While still keeping a few familiar faces in there too!

If you have a second, do go and check them out – I’d love to hear what you all think! Especially if you reckon there’s a Beastie missing who should be part of the lineup…

We’ll be back on Friday, with more Beastie antics! See you then… and in the meantime, have a great week!

Plunkett at Samphire Hoe - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

White Cliffs and Teeny Trains

Posted on August 5, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Knitted Beasties, Paddy and Plunkett

Paddy and Plunkett’s tour of the southeast of England continues! Today they’re down by the famous White Cliffs of Dover, which are shining brightly in the sunshine. In fact, Plunkett seems to be quite dazzled by them!
While they were here, the boys decided to have a look around Samphire Hoe Country Park. It’s a relatively new attraction in these parts – when work on the Channel Tunnel began in the 1980s, this area was given the (questionable) honour of being the dumping ground for all the chalk they dug out of the sea bed. The soil was used to reclaim 30 hectares of land from the sea, and a wall was built offshore to create an artificial lagoon. Then Mother Nature was left to recolonise the park as she saw fit!
There are a variety of different habitats to explore, and the lads even met a sunbathing adder on their travels – unfortunately they just weren’t quick enough with the camera to get a picture!

Then in the afternoon, it was time for something completely different!
Oooh, look at that lovely old train! But all is not as it seems…
Welcome to New Romney station, on the Romney, Hythe and Dimchurch heritage railway line – home of Britain’s largest model railway! Even Paddy and Plunkett felt like giants among these miniature landscapes!
They especially liked this part – well, who wouldn’t want to enjoy a monster day out for all the family?
But what really got Paddy’s attention was waiting just outside – real trains, scaled down to one third their usual size! Perfect for a little woolly monster… Let’s just hope Plunkett managed to stop him from taking one for a test drive!
We’ll be back on Tuesday with more monster antics! In the meantime, have a super weekend… and please get in touch immediately if a small green monster in an Aran sweater careens past you in what looks like a stolen miniature train!

Another Monster Big Day!

Posted on August 2, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Commissions, Knitted Beasties

Hey there Beastiebuddies! It’s Tuesday again, so that means I am duty bound to introduce you to the newest arrivals here at Beastie Towers – and since wedding season is still in full swing, it looks like you’re actually getting TWO new Beasties for the price of one. Don’t say I ain’t good to ya!

Ooookaaay, where shall we start? Aha! Here comes the bride now.
Isn’t she pretty? I loved styling her beautiful long hair!

Her dress is an understated yet elegant ivory satin, with a fitted wool bodice and net petticoats, and she has a veil to match… topped with pale yellow roses, to complement her golden skintone.
This Beastie bride’s human counterpart is a big fan of board games, so I also made her a personalised miniature Scrabble tile necklace to complete her outfit!
And what’s that in her paw?
It’s a “Carcassonne” board game, shrunk to Beastie size! Apparently this is the human bride’s very favourite board game, and I thought Beastie Bride would like one too.
I used felt as the background, then appliquéd hand-cut pieces of felt on for the larger blocks of colour, before adding in the details and lettering with hand-stitched embroidery. The finished box measures just 5x6cm!

But let’s not forget about the groom! He’s looking dapper in a navy felt and wool suit, and his golden yellow tie is a thoughtful nod to his lady-wife’s complexion.
And because he’s an enthusiastic Latin scholar and budding writer, I couldn’t quite convince him to leave his dictionary and favourite pen at home…
…But I did manage to attach them both to his jacket…
…So he can show off his sweet dance moves at the reception!
Congratulations to the bride and groom, and thanks to Niamh for requesting this fun commission as a gift for her friends!
We’ll be back on Friday, when we’ll be checking up on Paddy and Plunkett. Let’s hope the sun is still shining on them, wherever they are…

Until then, have a super week!

Visting the Oak Fairy - CrawCrafts Beasties

Explorer Beastie’s Holiday!

Posted on July 29, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie, Knitted Beasties

As some of you might already know, Explorer Beastie and I took a couple of days off last week and escaped to the countryside! And we really couldn’t have timed it better, since our trip coincided with another brief guest appearance from the ever-elusive Irish Summer.

Explorer Beastie couldn’t wait to get outside…

…And he was soon on the lookout for the perfect sunbathing spot. Check out that view behind him!

Aaaah, just right!
But it’s not in Explorer Beastie’s nature to spend an entire day sitting around. It was only a matter of time before his thirst for adventure got the better of him… Fortunately, we found the perfect place for him to explore! What’s down that path, I wonder?
Ooooh, interesting! Let’s check this out!

First we had to walk through the woven willow tunnel…
…And look what we found on the other side!
A fairy house! At first, we thought this was a one-off… But then we spotted more!
We’d stumbled on an entire fairy town in the forest! Some of the houses were easier to reach than others…
…But Explorer Beastie enjoyed lunch at the Dew Drop Inn, and a quick browse in the bookstore afterwards.
He also had fun taking pictures with our new friend Izzy! Here she is helping us to set up a photo beside a perfectly Beastie-size house. Thanks, Izzy!
We never did find the owner of “The Giant’s Lair”… although I think he must have been at home recently!
Clearly he shares my love of doing the dishes!

After our forest walk, we stopped in the courtyard for human-sized food before heading for home. Explorer Beastie waited for us in the herb garden!
What are you all up to this weekend? If you find yourself in Slieve Gullion Forest Park, don’t forget to say hi to our fairy friends in the forest!

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